Spicy, Super-Crunchy Garlic Potato Wedges with Roast Pepper Dip

Potato wedges are much loved by the teens in my house, who will happily eat them every day, and thank goodness for that, because they (the wedges, not the teens) are so easy to make and packed full of energy and nourishment.

On my quest for the perfect wedge, fluffy on the inside, rustly and super- crunchy without, I have found that they do need to be parboiled first (read more on this subject).

But what a pain in the neck it is to wait for a pot of water to boil! So when I spotted a packet of sturdy, ziplocking microwave steaming bags in my supermarket, I decided to try a new method.

(If you don't hold with microwave ovens, for whatever reason - don't get me started on that subject! - feel free to parboil the wedges in the normal way, or, if plastic is your bugbear, use a lidded glass dish to microwave the spuds.)

For ultra-crunchiness, I tossed the wedges in channa (chickpea) flour and some mild aromatic spices. You can find chickpea flour in Indian supermarkets or spice shops. (If you're in a real hurry, and live in South Africa, use Pakco Chilli-Bite Mix in place of the spices and channa flour; that is what I used the first time I made these). Or use any herbs and spices of your choice.

These wedges stay crunchy for hours after they've come out of the oven, and don't turn leathery, as wedges that have not been parcooked tend to do.  You do need a fan-assisted oven to achieve this level of crunch, it must be said. I've tried these in an oven without a fan, and they just weren't the same.

The dip, a variation on my Aunt Gilly's sublime red pepper sauce, has a mild, sweet smoky flavour that pairs beautifully with the spicy wedges. These are also nice with a creamy dip made of a third Hellman's mayonnaise and two-thirds thick Greek yoghurt, mixed together with a little crushed garlic and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.

Spicy, Crunchy Garlic Potato Wedges with Roast Pepper Dip

First make the dip:
2 large red peppers (capsicums/bell peppers)
2 large yellow peppers
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 Tbsp (60 ml) olive oil
a squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Heat the oven to 190°C. Using the point of a sharp knife, cut a 1-cm slit in the side of each pepper, and push a whole clove of garlic into each pepper. Put the peppers directly on the hot oven racks (with a drip tray beneath) and roast for 35 to 40 minutes or so, or until they are very soft and the skin is blistered, but not charred. Place on a plate, cover with another plate, and allow to cool for 15 minutes. (Put the potato wedges in the oven in the meantime; see below). Pull off the stalks, peel away the skin, slice the peppers open and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Put the now-softened whole garlic cloves and the flesh of the peppers into the goblet of a liquidiser or a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the olive oil and process to a smooth sauce. Add a squeeze of lemon juice - just enough to give the dip a little zing - season with salt and pepper, stir well and decant into a bowl.

For the potatoes:
6 medium potatoes, rinsed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 T (60 ml) olive oil
1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) ground cumin
1 ½ tsp(7.5 ml mild curry powder
½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground coriander
1 tsp (5 ml) chilli flakes (optional)
4 tsp (20 ml) channa [chickpea] flour
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Turn the oven up to 200°C and switch the fan on. Cut the potatoes into slim, even wedges (I use this wonderful potato-dividing device that produces even wedges in a jiffy). Put them into a sealable microwave cooking bag (or a glass dish). Add a single garlic clove, roughly sliced, and a good pinch of salt. Close the seal tightly (or cover with a lid). Microwave for 6-8 minutes, on high, or until the wedges are just tender on the outside. (Alternatively, cook them in rapidly boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes.)  Allow to stand for a minute.

Pour the olive oil into the bag (or dish). Crush the three remaining garlic cloves directly into the bag, and add the cumin, curry powder, coriander, chilli flakes and channa flour.

Reseal the bag and toss its contents around gently so that every wedge is completely coated. Tip the wedges onto a baking sheet, making sure that they are skin-side down, and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 200°C, with the fan on, for 25-35 minutes (depending on your oven) or until they are very crisp and golden.

Serve, in cones of newspaper, with red pepper dip.

Serves 6 as a side dish and 8 as a snack.

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Lemony Potato Wedges with Sumac

Potato wedges are a staple in our house, which is infested with ravenous teenagers, and I get so bloody fed up with spuds day in and day out that I'm always thinking about new variations. I am a bit of a bore when it comes to the subject of oven-baked potato wedges - I don't think they're worth eating unless they've been parboiled first, for example - but I made these last night, without any prior boiling, and they were good, crunchy and crisp.

This recipe uses sumac - a red, non-fiery spice with a lovely tart, lemony flavour. Okay, sumac is not exactly available at every Pick 'n Pay, but you will find it at specialist delis and spice shops. If you can't find it, use two teaspoons [10ml] of fresh paprika, plus another teaspoon each of fresh lemon juice and finely grated lemon rind.

Lemony Potato Wedges with Sumac

6 big potatoes, washed but not peeled
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive or vegetable oil
the juice and finely grated zest of one lemon
2 t (10 ml) Tabasco sauce
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 t (20 ml) sumac
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the potatoes, lengthways, into six equal wedges. (At this point, you can parboil them, which will give an ultra-crispy and fluffy wedge). Put the wedges into a bowl (or into a large plastic bag), add two teaspoons of the sumac, reserving the remaining two teaspoons, and all the remaining ingredients. Toss and shake well, so that every wedge is well coated with the mixture. Tip into a baking dish or roasting pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. Sprinkle with the remaining sumac and serve immediately.

Serves six as a side dish.

Postscript: after feedback from my friend James, I have adjusted this recipe so the sumac is added in two batches. Print Friendly

The supersonic, ultra-crispy wedgie

Making oven-baked potato wedges is hardly rocket science, right? You wedge 'em, dredge 'em, and bake 'em, right? Right, if you fancy eating a plateful of slightly oily wedges, which are delicious for precisely five minutes before they lose their puff and collapse into leathery old brown leaves.

I'm not casting aspersions on potato wedges - these are a brilliant, low-fat alternative to chips, perfect for ravenous teenagers or picky eaters. They take minutes to make, and, because they retain their skins, pack a good nutritional punch.

After much experimentation, I have settled on the following method, which produces gorgeous golden-brown wedges that are crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and have plenty of rustle and snap. (Note: since I wrote this post, I have refined the recipe and added a sprinkling of chickpea flour, which results in a superior crunchiness. Click here for the new recipe.)

First, and most important, the wedges need to be cooked for at least ten to fifteen minutes in rapidly boiling, salted water before they are baked. Yes, I know it's a bit of a hassle, but it makes all the difference: a wedged potato that is tossed in oil and salt and placed in a hot oven without being boiled first will certainly go golden brown and puff up, but its cut surfaces will turn tough and leathery within minutes of your taking it out of the oven.

Second, the water in which the potatoes are boiled should contain a generous amount of salt. I picked this tip up from watching an episode of Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection, in which he conclusively showed that potatoes parboiled in salted water turn a perfect golden brown, whereas those boiled in unsalted water are pallid in comparison.

So here's my method. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Put a large saucepan of water on the stove, add one tablespoon of salt, and bring to a rapid boil boil. Cut each potato, lengthways, into six equal wedges. I have a brilliant device that is specifically designed for wedging potatoes - but you can do it as easily with a knife. As you cut the potatoes, toss them into the boiling water. The water should just cover the wedges.

Boil them rapidly for ten minutes, or until you can easily push the tip of a knife right through them, with no resistance. They should be on the point of breaking up - but not quite. Tip the wedges into a colander and drain off the boiling water. Set aside to ten minutes to drain and dry out. Then give the wedges a light tossing and scruffing so that they roughen around the edges . In the meantime, tip a few tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil into a roasting pan and place over a medium flame. When the oil is sizzling hot, add a good pinch of salt and a grinding of milled black pepper, and what ever flavourings you fancy - some needles of rosemary, flavoured salt, spices, dried herbs, a pinch of cumin, a squeeze of lemon juice, a dusting of cayenne pepper, whatever takes your fancy - and immediately tip in the potato wedges. Give the wedges a good toss so that they are well coated in the hot olive oil, and then place them in the hot oven. Alternatively, you can heat the roasting pan of flavoured oil in the oven for ten minutes before you add the wedges.

Bake for thirty to forty minutes, depending on your oven, tossing and shaking once or twice, until they are golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately. Print Friendly